The prognosis for individuals on disability retirement An 18-year mortality follow-up study of 6887 men and women sampled from the general population

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown a markedly higher mortality rate among disability pensioners than among non-retired. Since most disability pensions are granted because of non-fatal diseases the reason for the increased mortality therefore remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential explanatory factors. METHODS: Data from five longitudinal cohort studies in Sweden, including 6,887 men and women less than 65 years old at baseline were linked to disability pension data, hospital admission data, and mortality data from 1971 until 2001. Mortality odds ratios were analyzed with Poisson regression and Cox's proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: 1,683 (24.4%) subjects had a disability pension at baseline or received one during follow up. 525 (7.6%) subjects died during follow up. The subjects on disability pension had a higher mortality rate than the non-retired, the hazards ratio (HR) being 2.78 (95%CI 2.08–3.71) among women and 3.43 (95%CI 2.61–4.51) among men. HR was highest among individuals granted a disability pension at young ages (HR >7), and declined parallel to age at which the disability pension was granted. The higher mortality rate among the retired subjects was not explained by disability pension cause or underlying disease or differences in age, marital status, educational level, smoking habits or drug abuse. There was no significant association between reason for disability pension and cause of death. CONCLUSION: Subjects with a disability pension had increased mortality rates as compared with non-retired subjects, only modestly affected by adjustments for psycho-socio-economic factors, underlying disease, etcetera. It is unlikely that these factors were the causes of the unfavorable outcome. Other factors must be at work

Assessing the Effects of Personal Characteristics and Context on U.S. House Speakers’ Leadership Styles, 1789-2006

Research on congressional leadership has been dominated in recent decades by contextual interpretations that see leaders’ behavior as best explained by the environment in which they seek to exercise leadership—particularly, the preference homogeneity and size of their party caucus. The role of agency is thus discounted, and leaders’ personal characteristics and leadership styles are underplayed. Focusing specifically on the speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives from the first to the 110th Congress, we construct measures of each speaker’s commitment to comity and leadership assertiveness. We find the scores reliable and then test the extent to which a speaker’s style is the product of both political context and personal characteristics. Regression estimates on speakers’ personal assertiveness scores provide robust support for a context-plus-personal characteristics explanation, whereas estimates of their comity scores show that speakers’ personal backgrounds trump context

Sex Differences In The Motivation Of Managers: A Look At Need Achievement, Need Affiliation, And Need Power

The major purpose of this study was to find out if motivational factors, particularly need for Achievement, need for Affiliation, and need for Power differ for managerial men and women. In addition, the traditional male-oriented Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was compared to a balanced-as-to-sex TAT in terms of its appropriateness as a motivation measuring device for women managers. Finally, the correlation of job satisfaction with need Achievement was examined for both sexes.The study was based on information gathered from a total of 124 male and female working managers taking post-graduate courses in MBA programs at the University of Miami and Barry College. Testing of motivation strength was accomplished using the same male-oriented TAT cues as McClelland (1961) on one group of female and one group of male managers. In addition, a balanced-sex TAT was used for two other groups of female and male managers. All groups were equal in size (n = 31). A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and to measure subjects' job satisfaction levels. Separate 2-way ANOVAS were performed for each of the three dependent variables of n. Ach, n. Aff, and n. Pwr. In each case, the variance was analyzed in a 2 x 2 factorial design (sex by version of TAT). Estimates were given of the main effect for sex, main effect for TAT test type, and sex x TAT version interaction. Pearson product-moment correlations for the relationships between n. Ach and job satisfaction scores were computed.Women managers were found to have a higher n. Ach, a not significantly different n. Aff, and a higher n. Pwr compared to managerial men. The literature had indicated that women in the general population have a lower or equal n. Ach compared to men; a higher n. Aff, and a lower n. Pwr. Changing social values; the obstacles women face in first getting managerial jobs, and then having to overcome sex-role conflicts; all possibly channel a special breed of women into these positions.Many writers are convinced that females do not respond in the same way as males to TAT picture cues using male figures or depicting sex-inappropriate situations. These fears do not appear warranted for n. Ach or n. Pwr. The two motives can be measured equally well for both women and men managers using either the male-oriented or balanced-sex TAT version. The sets are interchangeable, and scores from one set to another are comparable. This was not confirmed for n. Aff. The two TATs may be interchangeable--although this conclusion remains clouded--but, they are not comparable. The women managers tend to score higher in n. Aff using the balanced-sex TAT than the male-oriented set.Although women managers' n. Ach levels were higher than the men's, and their job satisfaction levels were lower, the n. Ach-job satisfaction correlation was not significant, nor were the sex differences in correlation. Factors other than n. Ach were discussed as possible predictors of lower job satisfaction among women managers.</p

Short-Form Scoring for Mc Clelland's Version of the TAT

Time needed to score TAT protocols may be reduced one-half or more by using a short-form scoring method that includes only the scoring for need imagery rather than the entire range of subcategories. A rescoring of 478 TAT coding sheets for six previous studies by the present author shows correlations in the mid-80s for the single-item scoring version of need Achievement, need Affiliation, and need Power. Although raw scores from the short form and long form are not comparable, the short-form scores appear to predict the same dominant need profiles as the original McClelland TAT coding. It may be reasonable then to substitute the short-form scoring for the full TAT coding when time is an issue. </jats:p